Manchester United could be forced into action to sign ex-Chelsea star amid interest from Premier League club: Reports

Aston Villa have reportedly entered the race to sign Manchester United target and former Chelsea forward Joao Felix.

According to ABC, the Red Devils have declared their desire to sign Felix. But a report from BirminghamLive has detailed Aston Villa's newfound interest in the Atletico Madrid forward.

The Express, hence, state that Manchester United would need to act quickly if they want to sign Felix. The Villans are eager to position themselves favorably to sign him after his return to the Wanda Metropolitano this summer.

Felix's supposed fallout with Diego Simeone in January forced Atletico to consider selling the player. He ultimately joined Chelsea on a six-month loan deal, where he mustered four goals in 20 appearances across competitions.

Despite his lacklustre form in England, Aston Villa see Felix as an option to add considerable quality to their frontline. Atletico are open to loaning him out once again and a loan fee of £10 million is believed to be enough to do the trick.

The Villans will play in the UEFA Europa Conference League next season along with the three domestic season-long competitions. Felix, 23, is tied down to a long-term deal with Los Colchoneros which expires in June 2027.

They signed the Portugal international from SL Benfica four years ago for a mammoth £113 million fee. He has since been utilized in every position in attack — majorly as a second striker.

During that time, the Atletico forward has registered 34 goals and 18 assists in 131 games for them.

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Manchester United target and former Chelsea forward Joao Felix doesn't regret Atletico transfer

Joao Felix's loan move to Chelsea in January made it evident that he was indeed finding it hard to fulfil expectations at Atletico Madrid.

A move to Manchester United — or any other club for that matter — would bring an end to Felix's topsy-turvy four years at Atletico. He hasn't started more than 14 La Liga games in a season since the start of the 2020-21 campaign.

Felix has also never scored more than eight league goals in a season since moving to Atletico. Given his price tag, many expected him to be an untouchable starter for Diego Simeone by now.

Felix, nevertheless, doesn't seem to regret moving to the La Liga giants. In an interview given to AS in February, when he had just signed for Chelsea, the forward said:

"No, I don’t regret it [signing for Atletico] It’s done me a lot of good to leave Portugal, develop as a player, experience new things, new players, new coaches… I don’t regret it, because it has helped me to grow."

It remains to be seen if Manchester United make him their new No. 9 this summer.